September
10, 2002

Narco
News '02

Authentic
Journalism on the "War on Drugs" in Latin America

"The Name
of Our Country is América" - Simón Bolívar

Beers
"Corrects" Falsehood

Under
Oath in Dyncorp Case

I made the following statement:
"It is believed that FARC terrorists have received training
at Al Qaida terrorist camps in Afghanistan." I wish to strike
this sentence.

Narco News Commentary: Under oath and "the penalties and pains
of perjury" last November, Assistant Secretary of State
Rand Beers made a blatantly false statement, toying with the
emotions of American citizens after the aerial attacks of September
11th to try to justify, of all things, aerial herbicide attacks
on Ecuadoran peasant farmers near the Colombia border.

Now he swears under oath that his outrageous
and shocking statement was false.

Thus, a high official of the U.S. government
had to admit in court that he had committed perjury; lied under
oath to the same court.

Narco News has obtained a copy of the
State Department fixer's "correction" filed in the
court case by Ecuadoran farmers against Dyncorp, the company
contracted to attack them.

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

-----------------------------------

Case Number: 1:01CV01908 (RWR)

Judge: Richard W. Roberts

------------------------------------

VENACIO AGUASANTA ARIAS, et al., :

Plaintiffs,

vs.

DYNCORP, et al., :

Defendants.

-----------------------------------

SUPPLEMENTAL DECLARATION OF RAND BEERS,
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE
BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS
REGARDING POTENTIAL IMPACT OF ARIAS LITIGATION ON UNITED STATES
NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY INTERESTS

I, RAND BEERS, HEREBY DECLARE THE FOLLOWING TO BE TRUE AND
CORRECT:

1. I wish to correct my declaration, filed with this Court
on November 27, 2001.

2. In paragraph 10, I made the following statement: "The
United States and Colombia have worked together in joint aerial
eradication efforts since 1978." I wish to strike the date
"1978" and replace it with the date "1982."
The error was inadvertent. Based on information and belief, the
paragraph as revised is correct.

3. In paragraph 20, I made the following statement: "In
total, during 1999 and 2000, over 100 spray planes and/or escort
helicopters were hit by hostile ground fire, resulting in three
fatalities." I wish to strike the words "resulting
in three fatalities." The error was inadvertent. Based on
information and belief, the paragraph as revised is true and
correct.

4. In paragraph 21, I made the following statement: "The
United States has trained three counternarcotics brigades, has
furnished the Colombian Army with UH-1Ns (Huey), and UH 60Ls
(Blackhawks), and is providing on-the-ground support for the
maintenance and upkeep of "battalions." In the Colombian
Army, three battalions constitutes one brigade. The error was
inadvertent. Based on information and belief, the paragraph as
revised is true and correct.

5. In paragraph 38, I made the following statement: "On
October 5, 2001, Secretary of State Powell designated twenty-eight
organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Three of these
Foreign Terrorist Organizations are based in Colombia: the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army
(ELN), and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)."
I wish to strike the sentence "On October 5, 2001, Secretary
of State Powell designated twenty-eight organizations as Foreign
Terrorist Organizations" and replace it with the sentence,
"In 2001, Secretary of State Powell designated or re-designated
twenty-eight Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations."
Each of the three organizations listed had been designated by
the Secretary of State as Foreign Terrorist Organizations prior
to October 5, 2001. On that date, Secretary Powell redesignated
the FARC and the ELN as Foreign Terrorist Organizations because
their designation was due to expire. The AUC had been designated
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for the first time in September
2001. The error was inadvertent. Based on information and belief,
the paragraph as revised is true and correct.

6. In paragraph 43, I made the following statement: "It
is believed that FARC terrorists have received training at Al
Qaida terrorist camps in Afghanistan." I wish to strike
this sentence. At the time of my declaration, based on information
available to me, I believed this statement to be true and correct.
Based upon information made available to me subsequent to the
filing of the declaration, I no longer believe this statement
to be true and correct. Based on information and belief, the
paragraph as revised is true and correct.

7. In paragraph 58, I made the following statement: "Panama,
which has no army, has no defense against intrusion from these
armed forces." I wish to strike the words "no defense"
and replace them with the words "very limited defenses."
The error was inadvertent. Based on information and belief, the
paragraph as revised is true and correct.

Under penalty of perjury, and pursuant to Section 1746 of
Title 28, United States Code, I certify and declare that the
foregoing statements are true and correct.

Executed this 8th day of August 2002 at Washington, District
of Columbia.

RAND BEERS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR THE BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL
NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS

Narco News published the full text
of the February 27, 2002 depostion by Assistant Secretary of
State for International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs
Rand Beers in the federal lawsuit by Ecuador's Farmers vs. DynCorp